This photo purportedly shows the official opening of the Angophora Reserve on 19 March 1938 by Sir Phillip Street (KCMG). Much of the groundwork to enable the purchase of the land by the Wildlife Preservation Society in January 1937 was done by Thistle Harris. The reserve cost the Society 364 pounds 19 shillings and 7 […]

This photo is another of Rex Hazlewood’s taken soon after 1920. Although the planter boxes are in place there is no sign of the Norfok Island Pines yet. Barely visible above the men’s dressing shed (and further along the beach) is a box line outfit containing a small reel, line and belt for rescue work. […]

This fascinating aerial photo was taken in 1928. The surf club building is still some 6 years away but the 2 tiny dressing sheds are visible in amongst the haphazard arrangement of cars, some parked almost on the sand. The first general store and ancillary buildings occupy a large area on the north-east corner of […]

The original surf club building was designed by the architect BWFord and this photo shows the official opening on 23 January 1934 by the Hon. JMDunningham, the Minister for Labour and Industry. Note the generous volume and height of the sand compared to the present day. The Norfolk Island pines, planted in 1922 are now […]

This slogan was used by AJSmall to attract potential land purchasers to his ‘new seaside village of Avalon Beach’ in the 1920s. The Society has one original notice in its archives in the old ‘foolscap’ size. This enabled it to fit into the rounded cornice of the old suburban railway carriages known by commuters as […]

This photograph was taken by professional photographer Rex Hazlewood. He took around 10 photographs of the area probably at the request of AJSmall in the early 1920s. Note the style of costumes,the barrenness of the southern headland and the fact that you surfed at your own risk in those early pre-surf life saving days.

This meeting on the verandah of AJSmall’s house “Avalon” in Bellevue Avenue was reliably dated 1925. It was convened by him to establish a surf life saving service for Avalon Beach. AJSmall is standing second from the left wearing white slacks and to his left is champion sculler and fisherman Bert Paddon. Small’s son Geoff, […]

This unusual view looking to the south/east (probably taken from Park Avenue) shows the intersection of Avalon Parade and Old Barrenjoey Road around 1932. On the north/east corner stands the first general store, tenanted at the time by Stan Wickham. JTStapleton’s tiny garage from which he sold real estate is dwarfed by his huge advertising […]